Arago: 20-cent Truman

The 20-cent Harry S. Truman regular stamp was issued on January 26, 1984, in Washington, DC. The stamp issuance honored the centennial of the birth of the 33rd US president (1945-53).

Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) entered politics as a county judge in 1922. He was Franklin D. Roosevelt's running mate in 1944. His vice presidency lasted less than three months, until Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945. Truman spent a turbulent period in office, and he ordered the atomic bombings on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and Korean War in 1950. He is considered a man who led the US into international confrontation with Soviet and Chinese communism.